Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Voké Adeleke. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Voké, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Last year my younger brother was turning 40 and he was in a really bad place. He thought his life amounted to nothing because he suffers from Sickle Cell Disease and that had affected a lot of the things he wanted to do in life.

I started out to write a song to encourage him through that season but ended up writing the song with him as he is also an Artist.

The song is titled Trust In You and is a song that talks about the pain and challenges that Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) patients go through in life.

It depicts their predicament, having to deal with the depressing thoughts and the debilitating pain they endure coupled with the stigma and the treatment from health professionals meant to care for them.

Researching information for this song, moved me deeply as I realised that the experiences typified by my brother was the same for other SCD patients around the world.

It was my aim to tell their story and to get the relevant bodies and communities to talk about how we could help these resilient people and reduce the unnecessary loss of lives.

Voké, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Voké. I am a singer-songwriter and recording Artist but I am also a Systems Engineer. I started singing from as far back as I can remember -singing in church from Sunday school to the Teen’s Choir right up to date.

Singing and music was a huge part of my family life growing up. My dad and mum would play Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, ABBA, Bob Marley around the house and we used to dance a lot to most of the 80’s beats. Michael Jackson was my favourite. As I grew older, I started to listen more to Christian/ Gospel music and fell in love with the likes of Ron Kenoly, Don Moen, Darlene Zchech, Cece Winans, Fred Hammond and Kirk Franklin.

Life as a young teen took a nosedive when I was about 16 and had just completed my secondary school education. My parent’s marriage came to an end! I found myself all alone without my parents for some years as I had to go live with family friends and then relatives.

Singing and writing were my therapy going through those years of pain and hurt from my parents’ separation. God was my solace. I would write my thoughts to God in my diaries and at the back of my notebooks just to give expression to what I was feeling per time.

I realised in that season how critical it was as a young person to know what you want to do at a young age and be determined to work hard and give your best to become successful in life.

I also found out the importance of making the right decisions. I realised that you have no one to blame in life for how life turns out, no matter how many curve balls you have been dealt with. We have to make up our minds with God’s help to take the right step at each turn.

Music and Computing have been intertwined in my destiny and I live to express both in every aspect of my life.

I have a passion to be a voice of encouragement to the younger generation inspiring them to live out their best lives in every aspect – being the best academically, enjoy a fulfilling teenage period and to support and mentor young people to help them take their next best steps in career development.

With my music, I love to write songs that bring glory to God’s Name because He kept me and still does. I also love to write songs that impact society, I’m grateful for the opportunity to write songs that bring attention to the needs of the poor like ‘Christmas Time’, a song I wrote with my friend Arinola to support giving food to those who can’t afford a hot meal on Christmas day.
I’ve also written a song – Trust In You – to address the plight of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) patients. The song encourages patients to put their trust in God while they stay resilient. It also sheds light on their lived experiences with a hope that they receive better care.

I’m glad that I can use both my skills as a Systems Engineer to solve problems in different industry sectors and my skills as an Artist to create songs that inspire and encourage people.

I’m also glad that I can use my story to encourage and motivate young people to live their best lives as God intends for them and avoid pitfalls.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I knew I wanted to study Computer Engineering at about age 14 even though it wasn’t popular back in the day in Nigeria and especially not for girls. I had all As in Maths, English and the sciences except for Physics. My guardian at the time told me to forget about Computer Engineering and go study something else since I had good grades to do many other courses.

I gave into the idea and tried to write the qualifying exams into Uni again for Accounting or Estate Management but as soon as I finished that exam, I told myself I would fight to pass that Physics so I could follow my dream of being a Computer Engineer and so I did just that, I wrote the exams, failed Physics again and then one more time, this time I passed Physics with an A. I went on to study Computer Engineering and the rest is history.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I have one mission and that is to see every young person thrive and they can do this by being able to make the right decisions early on in life.

I find that it’s not that easy for many, not with peer pressure, poverty or lack of self-esteem that some people are plagued with.

It is my aim therefore that my songs bring meaning to that stage in their lives and provides an expression for them to enjoy being young and vibrant while also trusting God to give them wisdom and guidance to navigate this very crucial stage of their lives.

The ideas formed, the advice given ( and received) in this season forms and shapes their lives and leads them to take decisions that could make or mar their future. I want to be there to encourage them through my songs and speaking engagements that they have what it takes to choose right and succeed.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vokeadeleke
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vokeadeleke
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vokeadeleke/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/vokeadeleke
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/vokeadeleke

Image Credits
Kelly Samuel Ladies First Development Network